DAN WALKER grilled Robert Jenrick on BBC Breakfast yesterday morning over the lack of coronavirus testing in comparison with other European countries such as Germany. But the BBC Breakfast host grew frustrated as he hit out at the Housing Secretary for not answering his question.

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Robert Jenrick joined BBC Breakfast from his home in Herefordshire yesterday morning to answer questions on the UK government’s coronavirus preparations. However, Dan Walker kept interrupting the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary as he felt the MP wasn’t giving him a straight answer on why the UK is lagging behind other countries when it comes to coronavirus testing.

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Jenrick replied: “Well the chemicals industry have rightly said that in the UK we produce a number of the ingredients to produce the tests that we need.

“But to produce a reliable test you need to have a range of ingredients and not all of them as I understand have always been available in the UK in the quantities we need.

“But we are working with British manufacturers as much as we can, they have been extremely helpful and supportive in trying to ramp up production.”

Interrupting Jenrick, Walker questioned: “Is the lack of chemicals the reason for the delay from the government’s point of view?”

Jenrick was grilled on the delay in testing (Image: BBC)

“That is one of the reasons that we have some of the ingredients but not all of them,” Jenrick answered.

“But, the good news is that production is now increasing, we had 8,240 people tested on Monday, we have the capacity now to do more than that.

“We have the capacity to test 12,700 people and so we are going to use that spare capacity to begin testing NHS workers over and above those people who have already been tested which has primarily been patients in critical conditions in hospitals.”

“Over the weekend we tested 900 NHS staff, that’s obviously just the beginning and we now need to increase that number very significantly,” he continued.

Walker asked: “Can I ask you what the other reasons are for there being a problem with the number of tests being done?

“You said the lack of chemicals was one of the reasons, what are the other problems because there have been suggestions about a lack of lab space or access to swabs, that’s been information from NHS providers.”

“What are the reasons for the delays, other than a lack of chemicals?” Walker reiterated.

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Jenrick replied: “Well within the UK the availability of the right infrastructure, some of the things you’ve just described, those things do make an impact.

“In terms of importing tests from overseas, there’s obviously a very high degree of demand for the tests.”

“Sorry to interrupt you,” Walker cut in. “When you say lack of infrastructure, what are we talking about?”

Jenrick explained: “Well different countries have different industrial strengths in manufacturing and production of medicines and testing equipment, you have seen in Germany that their existing industry was better placed.”